Highschool, Drama, and Orange Jumpsuits
by MaximumRideWingsOfGlass1234
Summary: When 15 year old Maximum Ride gets herself into a very unlikely situation, jail becomes her home for 9 months. When the school badass finally makes her return to Westbrook High, she has a few major things to fix: her reputation, her family, and the most important friendship she'll ever have. Will Max be able to wipe a cleanslate, or will she just end up where she started? FAX!
1. The Girl In The Orange Jumpsuit

**A/N: This is my first story! I hope you guys like it! Please R &R**

 **!** Jail. There's a reason no one wants to end up in this horrid place. Okay, I know what you're thinking: Maximum Ride is in freaking _jail?_ Yes. I, Maximum Ride, official badass of the world, am sitting on my ass in prison. Surprised? So was I. I mean, yes, I guess I am a pretty violent person, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad person! It just enjoy the rush I get making snap decisions, evading opponents attacks, and putting all of my strength into flurries of punches and kicks. And that doesn't necessarily mean I pick fights with people just for fun either; I do it purely for self-defense, or in a few cases, to defend the weak. Take this incident, for instance. You know, _the_ Incident. The one that landed me in a jail cell where they don't give a rat's ass about your opinion; everyone is the same in Travis County Juvenile Detention: a criminal.

 **Flashback**

Freedom! That was the only word that ran through my stream of consciousness as I pummeled through the massive wave of students towards the exit of the school. Okay, fine, we weren't leaving for summer or anything, it was just a weekend, but enjoy the small things in life, people! 2 and a half days away from this miserable prison is much better than none. Little did I know, the true definition of prison was waiting for me just a few hours ahead.

"Out of my way, peasants!" I barked at the school of fish ahead of me. Almost instantly, the crowd parted as if I was Moses and they were the Red Sea. _Works like a charm,_ I thought with a smirk. Funny how a freshman girl that weighed 105 pounds at 5'9 could have so much power over people. Being the school badass has its perks, even if it means most people are too scared of you to even consider friendship. They were right not to mess with me. Speaking of friends, I had one waiting for me outside. Riiigghht

I casually walked to our normal meeting spot under the pavilion, which was empty. Odd. He's usually here by now.

Just as I began to walk away, I felt a faint prickle on the back of my neck. I quickly straightened and spun around.

"Will you quit that?" I said.

He always seemed to appear like that, silently, like a shadow come to life. Who, you ask?

"Quit what?" he asked calmly. "Breathing?"

At this, I internally groaned and rolled my eyes. "You know what, Fang."

I looked up at my best friend, dressed in his classic black ensemble. He was taller than me, about 6 feet with jet black hair and dark obsidian eyes that could see right through me. When I was 13, I discovered that if you look close enough, there are little gold flecks, like glimmering stars against the dark night sky.

"Whatever Max," he joked with a lopsided smile, and playfully punched my arm as we sat down on one of the pavilions many benches. Any other girl at our school would have probably feinted if Fang had so much as touched her. Speaking of that….

Smirking evilly, I turned back to face Fang. "So, anything interesting happen today?" The death stare he shot towards me in response was priceless. I barely held in my laughter as he began to feed me the latest edition of "Various Sluts and Their Various Ridiculous Attempts to Get Fang's attention".

"Lissa's skirts could double as headbands. Brigid made out with at least 5 guys this week. Trying to get my attention. Girls staring at me everywhere I go," He replied in his usual use-as-few-words-as-possible fashion. Typical.

"Would it kill you to talk in full sentences?" I teased.

"Most definitely," Fang retorted sarcastically. "But I can't walk home with you today Max. I have to babysit Angel and her friends at her "party". Don't ask why I agreed. It was the Bambi eyes. But I'll call you later." Then he slung his (black) backpack over one shoulder and walked to his black bike. I waved at him as he mounted it, and he returned the gesture. Whelp, guess I was on my own today. As I stood to leave, I couldn't help but smirk at the envious glares I was getting from half the girls at the school. I got where they were coming from though. Fang really was pretty damn hot… But he was my best friend, so I never really looked at him that way.

As I set off to walk home, I decided to take this opportunity to get in a nice run. Running was one of my favorite things to do. I poured on the speed, feeling the air rush past me, my sun streaked light brown hair flying into my face. Then, when I knew no one could see me, I closed my eyes and stretched my arms out like wings. The feeling was breathtakingly amazing, like how I imagine flying must feel like. I must have gotten a little caught up in the moment, because when my eyes flicked back open, I was in an unfamiliar cluster of dark alleys.

 _Shit._ I must've missed my turn when I decided it would be a good idea to act like a 3 year old and pretend I was flying.

I was about to turn around go back the way I came, towards my house, when my keen ears picked up a muffled scream. I stopped dead in my tracks, turning towards the direction the noise was coming from. Turning into the alley, I started to pick up faint conversation. The closer I got, the clearer it became.

There was a man's voice, or rather a teenage boy's, and a girl's voice.

"What do you want Ari?" the girl said.

"I told you not to tell anyone about the situation with Ortiz," the boy, who I assumed was Ari, spat at her. "It was none of your business. I had to teach him a lesson."

"By beating him up? He looks like he got ran over by a train! And he didn't do anything to you!"

 _You go girl_ , I thought

"He exists. He breathes my air," Ari said. By now, the scene had come into view. Crouching down in the shadows, I saw the girl was about 13 or so and Hispanic. When I saw Ari, I realized this wasn't just some random guy named Ari, it was Ari Batchelder, this jerk that was in my history class. _That bitch…_

God, I hated all of this strong-picking-on-the-weak crap, and I was sick of it. Creeping out of my hiding spot, I moved silently along the wall towards them. The girls saw me though, and I couldn't risk Ari knowing I was behind him, so I held a finger to my lips. Thankfully, the girl showed no obvious sign she had spotted me except for a barely perceptible nod that Ari never would have noticed.

"So Ella, what do you have to say for yourself?" Ari taunted. "Is there any reason I shouldn't teach you a lesson too?"

"Really Ari? Targeting a defenseless little girl? What a shame. I thought you were all about going for the big guys." When Ari saw me striding towards him, his eyes just about bulged out of his pitiful little head.

"Shut up, Max," he snapped, pulling out a pistol from his pocket. "If you know what's good for you, you better get out of here"

"Cant," I said, walking down the alley to go stand next to Ella. She looked up at me like I was the craziest person who had ever walked the face of this earth. "Actually, I think kicking your stupid butt would be good for me."

At this, Ari laughed, as if I had just told him a joke. That was a big mistake.

I don't know why, but I was much stronger than most people, even some grown men, plus, my dad had taught me the art of street fighting, right before he'd disappeared and never come back.

I was done with this crap. I ran towards Ari, and quickly delivered a roundhouse kick to his chest. Staggering backwards, Ari tried to cock his gun. Emphasis on tried. I was fast. Really, really fast. Whirling around, I grabbed the pistol from his hand and tossed it across the alley. He wouldn't be needing it.

When I turned around, I saw Ella standing there, terrified. She needed to get out of here.

"Ella, run!" I shouted at her. She obeyed immediately. Sadly, I wasn't as fortunate.

AS it turned out, Ari was really strong too. I was shocked by the impact of his punch when it hit me square in the stomach. That gave Ari enough time to snap –kick me in temple. Suddenly, I was seeing stars. But, as my father had taught me, pain is part of the deal, so your only choice is to ignore it if you are to win. _Ignore the pain. Ignore the pain._ I sent a jarringpunch to his nose and internally smiled as I felt the satisfying crunch of bone under my knuckles, soon followed by gushing blood. But, all this did was piss him off.

"Arrgghh!" Ari cried as he launched himself at me and… tripped. The impact seemed to jar his whole body. Before he knew it, I was on top of him, landing blows here and there. He struggled to push me off of him, but eventually succeeded. Immediately after, he kicked me again, and I grimaced as I heard the sickening sound of my rib snapping. _Ignore the pain._

I returned the favor gladly, this time knocking him down to the ground…. Right by his gun. It only took him a split second to pick up the weapon, cock it, and aim it at me.

He was going to kill me. I couldn't die here! Acting on instinct, I delivered a swift, hard kick to him throat. Then his neck snapped. He dropped the gun instantly, and his body went limp.

 _No, no! I can't have killed someone!_ I panicked, desperately searching for a pulse. Thankfully, it was still there, but it was very, very faint. I had no choice but to call 911.

The events that happened after this all happened so fast, they blurred together into one. The ambulance came, but so did the police. They took me away in the cruiser. I sat conscious as long as I could, but I could feel my eyelids becoming heavy from the shock and pain, and eventually, the world went black. When I woke up, I was in a jail cell, a forgotten girl in an orange Jumpsuit.

(This is a line. His name is Bob )

I quickly pushed these bad memories out of my mind. I couldn't dwell on the past; I was racing full throttle on a straight path to the future with nothing that could stop me. I couldn't stand another second in this horrendous place. But, thankfully, I'm about to be released. So Westbrook High better prepare themselves, because Maximum Ride is coming back, baby!

 **A/N: Hope you liked it or loved it! If you didn't, please let me know!** **  
** **Review, Review, Review!**

 **I won't post the next chapter unless I get 5 reviews!**


	2. Freedom At Last!

**A/N: Loved all the reviews for last chapter! Keep reading and reviewing! But, without further ado, here is the next chapter! Reviews are mucho appreciated!**

 **4 Days Later…. (A/N This is 4 days after the end of the 1** **st** **chapter)**

On a normal day in jail, I wake up by myself, and very, very late, might I add. But today, someone must have thought I was super special, because I was suddenly jolted awake at the crack of freaking dawn by a booming voice

"Maximum Ride! We have your release papers, and once you have them filled out, you will follow me," the Warden called from outside my cell. Or was this all just a dream….

I slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I tried to come up with a dignified answer.

"Whaahh?"

Yup, that was all I got.

"You are Prisoner 3487213, correct?" the Warden replied with a quizzical expression.

He actually expected me to know my prisoner number? What a dweeb. I almost laughed at loud at his stupidity.

"Can you say that again in English please?" I snarled.

With a sigh, he finally said, "Forget it. I already know who you are. Miss Ride, you're being released today. Your 9 month detention period is over. Please, just come to the front of your cell, take these papers, and fill them out so you can leave."

Oh. My. Freaking. God. How on Earth could I have actually forgotten that I was _getting out of freaking jail_ today?Suddenly, a smile of pure joy was creeping across my face. I was actually _leaving_ this terrible place today!

"Oh. Right. Of course," I said, bottling up all of the happiness inside of me. What? I'm Maximum Ride! I don't show emotions like joy, happiness, etc. etc. Only disgust, anger, and intimidation.

I took the papers out of his hands and began filling them out with the pen he gave me. What was on the papers? Like I'd tell you! This is personal info, people. I'm not giving you stalkers the satisfaction of getting the information you needed!

I handed the papers back to him quickly.

"So I'm good to go now, right?" I asked, desperate to be free from this prison. Literally.

"Yep, it looks like you completed all of the paperwork, so you should be good to go," he replied as he swiped a card that opened the door to my cell.

"Now all we need to do is go over a few quick ru-."

That was as far as he got because I had already sprinted all the way down the hall and was heading towards the release gate.

"Sayonara, suckers!" I shouted as I bolted past all the other inmates' cells. I kind of felt bad for them, but they'd get their chance sooner or later.

When I finally reached the gate, I screeched to a halt. The guard standing there looked very alarmed. I doubt he knew why I was here…

"I'm Maximum Ride. I'm supposed to be released," I said, trying to make things clearer for the guard.\

"Yes…" he said, pulling out a list. "Have you contacted anyone to come pick you up?"

Crap. I never really thought of that.

"Oh. I didn't know you had to do that..." I replied truthfully.

"Don't sweat it," he said with a smile. "There's a phone right here."

Whew. Thank the Lord. Now, who to call…. Fang! He surely had a car by now. And, you know, I hadn't seen my best friend in 9 months. Only family was allowed to visit. I thought about him and his amazingly gorgeous face every day for nine months…

Wait. Forget I said that.

Good thing I had memorized his number. Taking a deep breath, I punched in his number on the keypad. Then it rang. _Booooooop._ And rang again. _Booooooooop._

 _Please answer, please answer, please a-_

"Hello?" His deep voice, the one I knew so, so well, answered. I was speechless. I couldn't think of a single thing to say. "Hello-o?"

"F-Fang?" I replied sheepishly.

I could almost see his face light up with surprise through the phone. "Max?" he said, his voice cracking. "Max, is that you?"

"Yeah, that's me. Umm, so I get out of jail today. And I-"

"You're getting out of jail today?! When can I see you? Wait, how _are_ you?" Fang interrupted, obviously unable to contain his excitement.

"Well, yes. It depends on how you answer my question. And I'm fine," I said, still in shock from the fact that I was actually talking to my best friend after all this time.

"That's… That's great Max. What do you need to ask me?" He said, obviously not knowing how to respond. Not that he was much of a people person….

 _Here goes nothing…._

"Umm. Would you mind-" deep breath "-picking me up from prison?" Thank God I had finally gotten that out.

Silence.

"Fang?"

"Yeah, I'd love to pick you up," he finally replied.

"Thanks, Fang," I said after another long silence.

"You're welcome, Max. See you in a few?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Bye"

"Bye Fang"

Then he hung up and the line cut off.

Was our friendship okay? Or would it be permanently screwed?

I guess I was about to find out.

 **So there's the chapter! Hope you guys liked it! Please, please, please review! Reviews are what inspire me to write the next chapter! Flames are also welcome! They help me become a better writer!**

 **Question: do you think I should do jail flashbacks in every chapter to give you an idea of what happened in the 9 months Max was in prison, or should I just write about Max (and other MR characters) and their experience in high school?**

 **Also, do you want me to get right into the Fax or make it slow-building? I can do either (I think that slow-building would be better, but I'm writing for the readers, so I'm gonna need y'alls opinions)**

 **And to make this more interesting, feel free to ask questions about me. I will answer in the Authors Notes in the next chapter, I promise!**

 **Finally, I'm sorry if my updates become scattered and less frequent. With school starting, I'm going to be really busy (I'm in all Honors classes, plus I have either volleyball or cheerleading practice every day of the week). So, if my posting becomes more like one chapter a week, please know I'm doing the best I can!**

 **get this story up to 10 reviews for the next chapter**

 **(Translation: 10 total reviews [which is 5 more reviews] or I won't post chapter3)**

 **Fly on,  
Kat**


	3. Reunited

**A/N:** **Hi guys! I'm back! I know it's been FREAKING FOREVER since I've updated, but I've been busy. I would ramble on and on with my reasons why, but I know you guys just want to read the story, so here it is!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride**

* * *

You know how I ditched the Warden earlier? You know the stupid one who thought I actually knew my prisoner number? Well, it turns out that whatever the heck he was trying to say to me as I bolted down the hallway like a bat out of hell was actually important. Because, you know, that's just how my life works.

"Ms. Ride! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!" he screamed, fumes emitting from his nose and sporting a plum colored face. Most people probably would have been terrified and run away screaming, like the guard did (okay, figuratively), but I thought it was absolutely HILARIOUS. I tried to hold it in as long as I could, but I couldn't take it anymore, so I started laughing hysterically.

"Your….Face….is…..purple!" I managed to choke out through my laughter.

And because this is my life were talking about, this was the scene that Fang arrived upon: a purple-faced warden, the guard cowering in the corner, and me clutching my sides, laughing like someone had just told me the world's funniest joke. How lovely.

So Fang just stood there awkwardly until I finally could compose myself. "Fang!" I exclaimed upon seeing him.

"Sir, may I see your ID please?" the guard said to him. Fang obliged, passing him his driver's license. After checking it, the guard handed it back to Fang.

"Alright, I just need to make sure I have all of the proper paperwork filled out…" he said, going through my file. "It seems we have all of the parent consent forms, but not yours, Ms. Ride."

At this, a very peeved warden passed over the forms I had filled out this morning.

"Ahh, there we are. Now… Mr. Warden, sir, where is the oral consent form?" the guard asked, puzzled.

The Warden, seizing this opportunity, replied, "You see, I was in the process of addressing it to Ms. Ride, when she took off down the hallway. So I will say this again, Maximum. Do you understand that you will be under very close supervision, and if you as much as injure a cockroach, you will immediately return to solitary confinement?"

"Sir yes sir!" I exclaimed, saluting him, wanting to get out of this awful place as soon as possible.

"Then you are free to go," the Warden said with a sigh. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA FREEDOM! I sprinted towards the exit gate, and BAM! I smacked right into it, forgetting it was still closed. Now it was Fang's turn to laugh. It was a nice sound, a deep chuckle that reverberated through his whole body and made my heart do flip-flops…

EWWW! Why was I thinking that way about my best friend? Actually, forget those last few lines…

Anyway, the guard opened up the first fence, which led into a cage-like room, closed that door, and then opened the one on the other side, just like they do in the movies.

I immediately ran up to Fang and jumped into his arms, giving him a giant bear hug. He was startled at first, but then he relaxed and returned the embrace. I held him tight, my head on his shoulder and my eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh God, I've missed you so much Max," he whispered into my hair.

"I missed you too, Fang," I sighed. And Lord, did I mean that.

He paused for a moment. "Don't ever leave me again," he said in a tiny voice, sounding so un-Fang-like, I almost had to convince myself that I was still talking to my best friend.

"I won't," I promised. "I won't. Not ever."

And in that moment, I relaxed for the first time in 9 months. I wish I could've stayed like that, Fang holding me in his arms, whispering sweet nothingness into my ear, for all of eternity, but we eventually broke up and walked to Fang's black Camaro.

"Sweet ride," I said, looking at its sleek figure in awe. He nodded in acknowledgement. Such a people person…

I opened the passenger door and slid into the seat, Fang doing the same. Once we were both settled, he turned to me.

"You look…. different," he said, looking me up and down.

Different? Oh, I guess he was talking about my new shoulder- length hair (it was waist-length before), the orange jumpsuit… Speaking of different…

"If any of the two of us look different, it's you!" I exclaimed, just now noticing the fact that he had obviously grown several inches, had cut off at least a foot of his hair (it used to be the length that my hair is now), and had started growing facial hair. Gosh, am I oblivious…

"Sure…" Fang replied, rolling his eyes. the car was silent for a few moments.

"And by the way, it's a good different," Fang added. I blushed madly, turning away so that Fang wouldn't notice.

"Thanks…" I replied. To be totally honest, I was digging Fang's new hair, which was cut pretty short, except for this one long piece that fell over his eyes. Adding even more to the emo aura he gave off…

The car was completely silent for a very long time, and it wasn't one of those comfortable silences that we usually shared. Something was up.

"Fang, is everything okay? You've been really quiet," I said, concerned.

Fang didn't answer my question. Instead, he just kept driving as if he hadn't heard me. _Was I still the same Max to him as I was before I was in prison?_

"Fang? Did you he-"

"Max, there's something I need to tell you," he cut me off.

Oh no. Nothing good could come from this. When Fang Walker, emotionless brick wall, said there was something he needed to tell you, it meant he was about to tell you he was diagnosed with cancer, that he was going to die in less than a year, that one of his parents had died, that the apocalypse was coming, that the world had a shortage of bacon, something of that sort.

Expecting the worst, I replied, "What is it?"

But no amount of mental reassurance could have prepared me for what he said next.

"Max, I-I…"

* * *

 **A/N:** **MUHAHAHAHAHA CLIFFIE! Now you have to read the next chapter to find out what happens…**

 **Now I have an even bigger reason to update sooner… Anyway, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!**

 **Reviews make me happy! Hopefully, I'll review tomorrow of sometime during the week. I'm kinda stuck though… I had a major case of writer's block while writing this chapter, and that's one of the reasons it took me so long to post. Please feel free to ask me questions in your reviews if you want to know a little bit about me. Anyway,**

 **Fly on,**

 **Kat**


	4. Tragedy

A/N: Hey guys! Heres that update I promised (to some of you). A special thanks to COURAGE AND LOVE for helping me with this chapter!

Song of the week: FAILURE BY BREAKING BENJAMIN

I absolutely love this song ! Y'all should listen to it.

And now, just so the suspense doesnt kill you, here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I am not a middle aged balding man genius named James Patterson, although that would be awesome. ㈷5

Also, I do not own Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Good Charlotte does.

* * *

"Max, I-I…"

"You what?" I said, losing my patience.

Fang took a deep breath. "Okay, look. My mom doesn't know I'm picking you up. If she did, I wouldn't be here right now. Max, she sees you as a criminal. She doesn't know anything other than you hurt ari Batchelder and almost killed him. In fact, that's all I know, so I cant exactly defend you."

Oh God, where was this going

"Max, we cant be friends anymore."

At that moment my heart shattered into a million tiny pieces. I couldn't see Fang, my best friend,anymore? A look of pure horror spread across my face. "We-we cant…" I couoldnt say the rest of the sentence without breaking down and bawling my eyes out, but Maxkimum Ride never, ever cries, so I just cut it off right there. Then a realization struck me. Wait a minute…

"Okay Fang, Ive always known your mom was a little skeptical acout me, but what about your dad? He loves me!"

Fang's expression darkened at my comment, and I immediately regretted saying it. I knew what had happened just by looking into his eyes.

Fang's dad had been battling cancer for about a year before I got arrested, but had been declared cancer free only a few days before I was taken away.

"he relapsed." I murmured, more for my own confirmation than as a question.

Fang bobbed his head slightly, still looking straight forward at the road ahead of him. Then he turned to me, and upon seeing my pained expression,responded.

"He died 3 months ago. When he went in for his follow-up after he had been cleared, he lit up like a Christmas tree. The cancer had spread through his entire body, including his brain. His dying wish… was to see you again, and to see us together again. And that's why were going to find a way to sneak around my mom."

It took me a little while to comprehend what he had just said.

"We have to sneak around your mom," I repeated,trying to figure out how we would make this impossible task possible. His mom was very hard to fool. I remember once when Fang and I had tried to pull an April fools day prank on her. Lets just say it didn't end well...

"That's what I said," Fang replied. I thought it through for a while, but it was still too much to take in.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Fang said , reading my mind. "But before we move on in this conversation, what happened that night?"

Let me tell you, I was not expecting him to say that. At all.

I sighed. "It may have been nine months ago, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. After you left, I started walking home, but at some point, I had missed my turn, and ended up in this dark alleyway, where I heard Ari taunting this girl, Ella I think. He was going to beat her up, and there was no way this girl was gonna fight back, so I stepped in. The fight was pretty even, but then Ari slipped and pulled out his gun. Instinct kicked in, and I kicked his throat. His neck snapped. I called 911. The ambulance drove Ari away, and the police cruiser took me away. The rest of the night all kind of blurred together, but when I woke up, I was in a jail cell."

Silence once again echoed through the car.

"So it was self-defense," Fang said after a while.

"Yup, but I was too young to put on trial."

"I'm sorry."

Fangs words took me completely by surprise.

"Sorry for what?" I replied, confused.

"For leaving you. I should have been there with you, should have-"

I cut him off. "Fang, stop. None of it is your fault. No one could have predicted that had happened."

For the rest of the ride to the house, no one said a word.

"We're here, Max," Fang said to me as we stopped outside the house.

I started to walk to my door when Fang got out too.

I spun around. "Bye Fang," I whispered.

Suddenly, he wrapped me into a giant bear hug.

"Bye Max," he whispered back.

* * *

After Fang drove away in his car, I turned around to face my house. In case anyone's wondering, I live in Austin, Texas. Its a pretty sweet city by the way. You should visit it sometime. The Mexican food is to die for.

Anyway, back to the point. The longer I looked at the cozy one story house, the more familiar it seemed. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the front door and knocked. After a few seconds, I heard footsteps coming towards the door. After I heard the lock click open, the door swung open.

And standing there, a pure look of joy plkastered on her face, was none other than my mother.

"MAX!" she exclaimed, gathering me into my arms. God, how I had missed those hugs...

"Mom," I whispered into her ear. (Gosh, a lot of hug-whispering happened that day. Is hug-whispering even a word?)

My mom pulled back, still holding my shoulders and looking at me affectionately."Max, I have missed you more than you could possibly imagine. Please, never do that to me again, okay? I really don't think I could go through that again. I-"

Her voice cracked, and tears began streaming down her face. I immediately pulled her back into an embrace.

"Shh, It's ok mom. I'm here now, and I promise, I'm never going back again," I soothed, meaning every word I said.

Eventually, my mom pulled back again. "I'm cooking spinach enchiladas. I know theyre your favourite."

At that moment, I was really tempted to do a happy dance and prance around like a pony, but I decided against it. "Thanks mom! It really means a lot to me."

* * *

After we ate our abso-freaking-lutely delicious meal, I went upstairs to my room. It was exactly as it had been 9 months before: The dark grey walls with the black and red splatter paint Fang and I had added when we were in 8th grade, the various band posters, my grey and white bedspread, pillows thrown wildly across various parts of the room, the plush carpet.

I peeked around for a while, dumbfounded by the fact that my closet contained more than just orange jumpsuits.

I took a shower, washing all of the prison grime off of my body, washing away my old life down the silver drain. Taking advantage of the majestic warm water and privacy, I began to do what had become a shower ritual in my days before jail: I sang.

I started off soft, humming the intro, and then went into the words.

Always see it on TV  
Or read it in the magazines  
Celebrities want sympathy  
All they do is piss and moan  
Inside the Rolling Stone  
Talking about how hard life can be

I'd like to see them spend the week  
Livin' life out on the street  
I don't think they would survive  
If they could spend a day or two  
Walking in someone else's shoes  
I think they'd stumble and they'd fall  
They would fall  
(Fall)

Lifestyles of the rich and the famous  
They're always complaining  
Always complaining  
If money is such a problem  
Well they got mansions  
Think we should rob them

Did you know when you were famous  
You could kill your wife  
And there's no such thing as  
25 to life as long as you've got the cash  
To pay for Cochran

And did you know if you were caught  
And you were smoking crack  
McDonald's wouldn't even want to take you back  
You could always just run for mayor of D.C.

I'd like to see them spend the week  
Livin' life out on the street  
I don't think they would survive  
If they could spend a day or two  
Walking in someone else's shoes  
I think they'd stumble and they'd fall  
They would fall  
(Fall)

Lifestyles of the rich and the famous  
They're always complaining  
Always complaining  
If money is such a problem  
Well they got mansions  
Think we should rob them

Lifestyles of the rich and the famous  
They're always complaining  
Always complaining  
If money is such a problem  
You got so many problems  
Think I could solve them

Lifestyles of the rich and famous  
We'll take your clothes, cash cards  
And homes, just stop complaining  
Lifestyles of the rich and famous  
Lifestyles of the rich and famous  
Lifestyles of the rich and famous

As I finished the song, I turned off the water and got out, wrapping a towel around my body. After I had put on a pair of pajama pants and a Fall Out Boy tee shirt, I fell onto my beckoning bed and instantly fell asleep, feeling more at home than I ever had before.

* * *

Please review! I love them!If you have any questions for me, I will answer them in the next chapter.

I fixed all of the grammar mistakes and made it longer since I have my computer back ㈴1 REVIEW!

Fly on,

Kat


	5. AN:Upgraded Ch4 notification

**A/n Okay I know you guys didn't want to see this but it's not because I'm telling you guys some depressing story or some other bull crap. I'm just posting this so you will be notified that I have updated chapter 4 to fix any mistakes I may have made while using my tablet and also to lengthen it to the length I intended it to be before I got so pissed off by my tablet that I just stopped the chapter. I really hope you guys enjoy the upgraded chapter and hope it is better than it previously was Thank you guys so much for being so awesome! 16 reviews for 4 chapters is pretty bacontastic if you ask me! Until next week,**

 **Fly on,**

 **Kat**

 **IN ORDER TO REDUCE CONFUSION, I WILL SAY THIS AGAIN: GO BACK AND REREAD CHAPTER 4 BECAUSE I ADDED 1000 WORDS!**


	6. Chapter 6: Chapter5: Back to School

_**A/N: Hi guys! Keep in mind that this is a legitimate update and not an author's note. For those of you who are confused by the beginning of this chapter, go back and read chapter 4. I updated it and added 1000 words.**_

 **Reviewer of the week:** Flowersocks2137 chapter 5 . Sep 28

You totally tricked me! I was all like "OMG! She, like, updated!" But-Noo!

Btw... Unos dos tres sienco sienco sienco sies! Listening to Offspring... Oh! Now it just changed to Panic at the Disco! Yay for changes!

I will fly on, thanks for ordering me!

Sincerely,  
Your favorite reviewer, Flowersocks2137 (also known as Alyssa)

 **To Flowersocks2137:** _ **You are awesome and should set up an account so I can PM you!**_

 **Song of the Week: The Best thing (That Never Happened to You) by WE ARE IN THE CROWD**

 **To any of you who I told I was going to update yesterday: I had a volleyball game, and then I went and got ice cream with my friend, and then I went to dinner with my family, and then my mom had to go help someone pick up their car, which happened to be in an auto shop that was 45 minutes away from the person's house we were at (I had to stay there), and then my mom and her friend decided they were going to hang out at his house for another hour because my brother put on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for him and my mom's 2 friends to watch, so we were there until midnight, and my mom sent me to bed as soon as we got home, so I never got to write...**

 **Without Further Ado, here is chapter 5 (The real one, Flowersocks2137)**

* * *

"MAXIMUM KATHERINE RIDE! GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED! IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF YOUR SOPHOMORE YEAR!" Mom screeched from my doorway.

I'd really like to know how I got lucky enough to have my first day out of prison in 9 months to be the first day of school. And what a LOVELY way to wake up! Joy! I _love_ being woken up at the crack of dawn by a screeching mother.

I rolled over and pulled the covers over my head. "Ughhmstrd." Such a chivalrous response.

That was when my mom came over and pulled the covers off of me. Bad move...

"I SAID GET UP MAX! YOURE GOING TO BE LATE!"

Finally, I gave up and forced myself out of my bed, rubbing my eyes blearily. I opened them up and saw... my room! What a nice change!

Lazily, I walked over to my closet and grabbed a pair of skinny jeans, a plain cream-colored t-shirt, and my brown combat boots. Oh, how I had missed my clothes... Let me tell you, orange was not my color. I was about to start changing when I realized my mom was still in my doorway. Awkward...

"Um, mom, you can go now..." I said, trying to sound as polite as possible.

She shook her head, snapping out of her trance, and met my eyes. "Sorry, Max. I'm still trying to get used to you being here again. It all just seems... too good to be true"

I smiled softly. "Yeah.."

She immediately exited the room, and I got dressed. Then I went to the bathroom and picked up my brush. this was going to be the real challenge.

"Okay snarls," I said to myself. "I'm going to rip through you with this brush, and you're going to untangle yourselves. Get it? Got it? Good." Maybe I was going insane...

10 minutes later, my hair was mostly knot free. Mostly. I quickly threw it up into a bun and ran downstairs, grabbing my brown leather jacket on the way. Upon arriving to the kitchen, where my mom was sitting on the phone with one of her customers, I poured myself a big bowl of chocolate Mini Wheats® and wolfed it down in a minute and a half. I then proceeded to putting on my backpack. Taking a look inside, I saw that all my stuff was in there. I still felt like I was missing something...

I started to walk out the door, but my mom stopped me.

"Wait Max! Don't forget your phone!" she said, placing my iPhone 5 into my hand. Ahhh. That's what I was missing.

"Thanks mom! I'll see you after school!" I exclaimed, hugging my mother tightly. I then trotted out the door and began the trek to Westbrook High.

The last time I had been down this path (backwards, but you know what I mean), I had been arrested. I shuddered at the thought. I couldn't dwell on the past; I needed a new beginning, a clean slate.

After I had been walking for a few minutes, I saw a familiar black sports car pass me. The passenger window rolled down, revealing my best friend, in all his usual fabulousness (fabulousness... is that even a word? Then again, Fang can't exactly be described by words. Neither can Bacon, so would Fang be described as "Bacon"? God, I'm getting so off topic...).

"Hey, need a ride?" Fang asked me as he came to a stop.

"Actually, I'm to cool for you, being a juvenile delinquent and all," I teased.

Fang smirked. "Get in the car, you loser."

I saluted to him. "Aye, Aye captain."

I opened the passenger door and slid into the seat, deja vu overcoming me. This felt exactly like yesterday...

"So why did you pick me up?" I asked, curious. "I thought your mom didn't want you anywhere near me."

Fang turned to me and gave me an are-you-really-that-stupid look. "First of all, you would have been late on the first day of your Sophomore year if I hadn't picked you up. Second, my mom has no idea I just picked you up. And I _am_ going to do this every day, before you ask, so don't tell your mom. Just meet me here at this stop sign every day at 7:00."

There were two things going through my mind at that point:

1) Was I really that late to school?

2) Why is Fang so damn ho- nevermind

"Okay, cool. Sounds good," I replied. Then a realization hit me. "Wait a minute! You just broke your record on how many words you've ever said in a row! A whopping 62 words! Congratulations, Fang! You've been promoted!"

"Wow, what an honor!" Fang replied with faux excitement. "Hey, we're here."

I looked out my window, and we were, in fact, at school. _Showtime._

I got out of the car and put my game face on. Y _ou've got this, Max. You can do it. It's only school, after all. You've been through much worse. Much, much worse._

I looked behind me and saw Fang looking at a sheet of paper. "Hey, Fang. Watcha looking at?"

He looked up from the paper. "My schedule. Don't you have yours? They came in the mail a few days ago... You weren't here a few days ago. I forgot. You just registered yesterday..."

Right... :|

Now I had to go to the secretary and ask for it. What was I going to say, _Hi! I'm Maximum Ride, and I don't have my schedule because I just got out of school yesterday!_ Like I would do that.

"Ugh. I have to go see the secretary now," I complained to Fang.

He smirked at me. "No shit, Sherlock." Then a quizzical look spread across his face. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head. "If you... left in the middle of the year last school-year, then you didn't complete your classes, so do you have to repeat all of the classes you were supposed to take last year?"

I responded immediately, bad memories eating away at my mind. "No, there was school in jail." I looked, the shininess of my boots suddenly becoming interesting.

"Oh," Fang replied, trying to get rid of some of the awkwardness between us. "I'll walk you to the secretary's office."

"Thanks," I responded.

As Fang and I walked through the front doors of the school, murmurs could be heard in direction. I got REALLY uncomfortable. I knew they were talking about me. Fang, who could read me like a book, saw how tense I was and interlaced his fingers with mine. As soon as we touched, sparks shot up and down my whole body. The feeling was amazing, unreal. It was- How could something as simple as Fang holding my hand have such an effect on me?

The whispers got louder as we passed by more people, and I could make out some of their comments.

" _Look, it's prison girl."_

 _"She's bad news. Stay away from her."_

 _"I heard she tried to kill Ari. What'd he ever do to her?"_

 _"What a jerk."_

 _"I think I'm gonna scream if I have any classes with her."_

All their comments filled me with rage, and if Fang wasn't holding my hand, I would have bashed their stupid heads in to fucking pulps. I would've-

"Don't listen to them," Fang whispered to me. Just his words calmed me down. Maybe he was a Max whisperer or something...

Staring straight ahead and tuning out the shit people were talking, I continued walking, and finally reached the secretary's office.

Fang opened the door. "Ladies first."

I entered the small room and walked over to stand in front of the desk.

"May I help you?" a petite blonde woman asked.

Reading the placard on her desk, I responded, "Yes, um... Dr. Dwyer, is it? I'm Maximum Ride. I need to get my schedule. I just registered yesterday."

smiled up at me. "Sure thing, dear." She opened one of her drawers. "Rhile, Rico, Aha! Ride! Here you are, dear." She handed me my schedule.

"Thanks!" I said on my way out the door. Once we left, Fang and I compared schedules.

"So what's your schedule say?" I asked Fang.

He looked down at his. "Homeroom: Mr. Rooney, 1st Period: AP Chemistry with Mrs. Haque, 2nd period: Honors English with Mrs. LaBoda, 3rd Period: Pre-AP Algebra II with Mr. Crosby, 4th Period: Choir with Ms. Bellequeva, 5th Period: PE with Coach Wilson, 6th Period: AP World History with Mrs. Trimble, 7th Period: Spanish II with Senora Venezuela. You?"

"Homeroom: Mr. Rooney, 1st Period: AP Chemistry with Mrs. Haque, 2nd period: AP World History with Mr. Smith, 3rd Period: Choir with Ms. LeDay, 4th Period: AP Algebra II with Mr. Crosby, 5th Period: PE with Coach Wilson, 6th Period: AP English with Mrs. Rodriguez, 7th Period: Spanish II with Senora Venezuela. Cool. So we have Homeroom, Chemistry, PE, and Spanish together. How lucky are we?"

Fang smiled. "Pretty damn lucky. If only our lockers were right next to each other. Then we could make out on them without pissing them off."

My cheeks turned bright red. "Shut up," I said, playfully punching his arm. In reality, I only half-wished he was kidding.

"We better get to homeroom now. We're about to be late," I said glancing at my watch.

"Right," Fang responded. With that, we walked to Mr. Rooney's class and sat down in two desks near the back of the room. _Here we go again._

* * *

 ** _A/N: So there's the chapter! Let me tell you: This took me FOREVER to write. I was going to keep going and describe the who;e first day of school, but I've already been sitting here so long that my butt fell asleep._**

 ** _PLEASE REVIEW! If I get 5 reviews today and early tomorrow morning, I will post the next chapter tomorrow night._**

 ** _If you guys don't know this already, I have another story for MR story recommendations that I update every Sunday. If you are looking for a good MR story to read, check it out! I give a weekly recommendation and summary!_**

 ** _Questions of the Chapter: Should I do POV switches?_**

 ** _Should there be a band called the Flock in this story that most of the Flock members are in (Iggy, Fang, Max, Maybe Nudge, Maybe Gazzy?)?_**

 ** _REVIEW,REVIEW, REVIEW! REVIEWS ARE BACONTASTIC!_**

 ** _Fly on,_**

 ** _Kat_**


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